FATHER KEVIN BATES  FATHER KEVIN BATES
"What determines the amount of reward\punishment received in Heaven or Hell?" - Brent Father Kevin: In either heaven or hell would an individual receive differing amounts of reward/punishment depending on how that individual lived his/her life? For example, someone who committed countless atrocities vs. someone who committed the minimal amount of sins go to hell - would one receive more punishment than the other? Thank you! - Brent.
Hi Brent: The ways of God are mysterious and beyond our understanding when it comes to what happens after we die. Anyone who thinks they know how much punishment/reward people will receive is truly having themselves on. I think we need to trust in God's goodness and leave it at that. Remember Jesus' parable about the guys who worked all day and got paid the same as the ones who showed up later in the day? That tells us that God gives his gifts wherever and however he chooses - just as we do with each other. My guess is that God is 100 per cent generous to everyone. - Father Kevin
Father Kevin: Hello Paul: I think it probably is a good idea for you to relax and trust God in all this. While you are party in some sense to this decision, and its consequences, it seems clear that you wife has strongly made this decision for herself. In this instance, I think it best just to trust that God has a gentle hand on you both and for you to put everything back in God's hands. If you have concerns over this matter, you could talk to you wife about it, but in the end she has her own decision to make for which you are not responsible. If we are as generous as we possibly can be in all these sexual matters, we can leave the rest to God. My guess is that what is happening is only a sin on your part if you are deliberatelybeing selfish in this matter, and it sounds from your question that it is just the opposite. All good wishes. Father Kevin
Hi Ross, Our names are something sacred to us. Here in Australia for instance, many of our Indigenous Aboriginal people have had European names thrust upon them over the past 200 years, and this is something of a symbol of disrespect and cultural bullying. I think much the same has happened to the Indigenous peoples of the Americas in many cases. Along the same lines, if we dishonour God's Name in some way, but using it as a curse, or by cursing God himself, or by deliberately being disrepectful, then that would probably be an offense against this Commandment. For those who say to you that we should never use the Lord's name in any way, all I can say is that they mustn't know him very well! If God is our best friend, our intimate companion, our first Love, then surely we use God's name often and in many different ways - in prayer, in anguish, in anger, in joy and ecstasy and so on. God simply loves without conditions, and is ultimately free, and so can handle anything we throw at him anyway, in much the same way that intimate friends take pretty much anything from each other. Kind Regards. - Father Kevin Father Kevin: Hi Gregory: Why don't you ask this chap Daren Z what he
means? It sounds like a fairly facile and confusing statement to me. How God
loves is a matter for God alone to know, just as how I love is a matter for me to choose.
I think you can safely relax and know that God loves you unconditionally -
"God so loved the world that he gave his only son....." (John) As for
Mother Angelica - I've heard of her but don't know much about her, but I'm glad
you find comfort somewhere. "Be Still and Know that I am God" - (Psalm 46)
- Relax and know that you are loved with no strings attached. Then go and offer that
same love to anyone you can, and then you will know more completely what God's love is
like, as you grow in offering this love to others. – Kind Regards. – Father Kevin
Father Amaro: Do you feel pets go to heaven? My dog is ill and this question was asked of Billy Graham once who didn't feel they do because they are merely here for our enjoyment here on earth. I feel my dog provided unconditional love all her life which reflects God’s love for us, therefore how could a creature like this return to it's Maker? – Henry Dear Henry, No one knows if pets go to heaven or not. If not, you know that your provided “heaven” for his little life span. But if there is going to be a new heaven and new earth, who knows? The scriptures don’t address this most likely because it has nothing to do with our salvation. What does have to do with our salvation is your gentleness that you’ve shown a poor animal. So, if our reward is great in heaven, there’s surely the possibility. Just remember that we need to treat other human beings with more than that, even when they don’t love unconditionally. God bless, Father Amaro.
”I had two abortions. Can I ever take communion again?” - Cheryl Father Amaro: I had 2 abortions almost 20 years ago. I was not going to Church then. I am in RCIA, I fast once a week for over 2 years now and am going back to church every Sunday. I am going to be married in the Catholic church in about 3 weeks. I have a 13 year old son now with my current fiancé. I want to go to confession, and confess the abortions. I am extremely sorry and do not want to get excommunicated. Can I marry in the church and once I confess and continue my path towards God, can I ever take communion again? I want to go to Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat for healing after abortion also. I'm afraid for my soul. Over the years I have been depressed and distraught. I need spiritual guidance. Please pray for my soul. - Cheryl Dear Cheryl, If you're going to be married in the Church, you’ll be going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation beforehand. You will probably have a great marriage too! Why? Because through all you've been, you've learned compassion. Someone is praying for you. Could it be two children that love their mother unconditionally in the presence of God? Who knows. But they would be rejoicing because you came to your awareness of life. And now, you're going to be entering into a life more abundantly. And yes, go to Rachael’s Vineyard. I think I can promise you that you'll not find healing anywhere else like one of those retreats. We sponsor them here too. They're great. With that and the Sacrament, Wow! I will add you in my prayers, but I think they’ve already been answered! What a wonderful letter. Maybe it will help another reader find the hope that she or even he needs. God bless, Father Amaro Father Amaro: Annulment. I've been struggling with
applying for one. I go to church and do not receive communion because I know that
technically I'm still married in the Church's eyes. The reason for not getting one is that
my husband flat out abused me. It was a very short-lived marriage and he went so far as to
put a loaded gun to my face (twice) and threatened to kill me if I left him. I have an
issue with annulment b/c I feel that I shouldn't have to pay or ask a Church for
permission - this is an issue between me and God. I think that God would understand and
forgive me for leaving, knowing that I tried to get him anger management and counseling
before feeling it was unsafe for me to be with him any longer. Now that I am having a
child (second marriage), I feel that I will be forced into annulment simply because my
child will ask why I don't receive communion with her. I also feel that I will be forced
into lying to the Church about the reason I left my first husband because once he receives
this paperwork, he will be very, very angry and this will only make problems for me -
irregardless if he sees my paperwork or responses to questions. The thought of annulment
angered him previously and I'm not sure how he'll react. - Cindy Dear Cindy, When you initially got married, you called
together the Church, witnesses, and friends to make a lifetime commitment. Marriage is a
public witness flowing from our baptism. But it does take two! It’s like ordination.
No sacrament is done in secret. Even the Sacrament of Reconciliation requires a priest,
and people see you go into the Confessional. The witness of the Church, your guests, and
friends requires the integrity to prove that the marriage is invalid. Divorce is a civil
matter. It has nothing to do with faith or the Church that Jesus established. When you
gave witness to the Sacrament of Marriage, you proclaimed yourself mature enough to do so,
and that you knew all you needed to know to marry him. That’s why I tell people to talk a
little about their former spouse when you fill out the forms. You were the one who chose
him without full knowledge of who he was and what his strengths and weaknesses were. Jesus
is the “truth” the way and the life. Be very truthful. Tell the truth with
confidence. You may have lacked the maturity at that time to make such a choice. You're
older and hopefully wiser now. And I'm sure you picked the next person much differently. But you place the second spouse in the
position of adultery if your first marriage is still observed as valid. Remember, marriage
isn't a witness to God, but it is to neighbor. God knows of the validity or invalidity of
your first marriage. But we're supposed to love God and neighbor. Now you have left
neighbor in a state of confusion, and possibly might be the cause of them stumbling
themselves. Marriage is never a “God and me”
vocation. It requires observation so that others may see the mirror image of Christ and
his relationship to the Church, whom he calls his bride. So, it is everyone’s
business. Use the opportunity to bring others back to the Sacraments as you will be
brought back. You cannot convince your children to live the law of love in Christ if you
abandon the proclamation that He gave to the Apostles and their successors, “Whatever
you hold bound on earth will be bound in heaven.” Unless you prove that the first
bond of marriage is invalid, it remains valid. Having said that, I will confess publicly here that, even though I am a
priest, I, myself, have been through an annulment. It was one of the most freeing and
healing events of my life. And, it will be yours too! I can promise you that. Then,
you can proclaim a real marriage in the Lord. What joy that will be! Go to my web site, http://www.fatheramaro.com.
When you get in, check out the "Marriage" page. If
that's what you think you have this time around, go for it! - God bless, Father
Amaro
“Why do some Catholics
kiss their fingers after making the sign CatholicView Staff:
Dear Marvin: As to the origin of this practice, I do not
know. But I do know that it is an Hispanic custom (as well as an Eastern-Rite custom
in some countries) to add the kissing of the thumb and index finger after making the sign
of the cross. The thumb and index finger is made into a cross, then brought to the
lips and kissed, and it is a devotional reminder of kissing the cross of Christ
(showing love, affection and commitment to Jesus Christ). This practice is very
similar to people kissing the Bible after reading it because it symbolizes their love for
the Word of God. You also add a question that concerns me, "Does this practice
make the sign of the cross more effective?" I don't know what you mean by that.
Remember, my devotional practices do not add or subtract from my own prayer and
dialog with God. All that matters in the end is my faith (and living out that faith
in my daily life) in Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior. What I do
devotionally is just a sign of my love for God and how can anyone put a measure of
"effectiveness" on such personal signs of internal love. – CatholicView
Staff ”How can I believe in a
fable that was written CatholicView Staff: Joe: Why is it so hard to believe in God and
believe in the Power and Intelligence that gives life to everything? I suppose that
just because you weren't there for the parting of the Red Sea and the flood described in
Genesis with Noah and family it means that it didn't happen. Your eyewitness account
is not necessary for anything to be true and factual. And just because you can't
understand why certain bad things happen, you dismiss the existence of God the
Creator? These questions have been asked by people over the entire history of
humankind. The simple answer is faith. I chose to believe in God. That
choice enables me to live in peace with the broken world around me. That choice of
faith gives me a moral foundation so that I can live in peace with my fellow human beings.
Faith enables me to be patient and enables me to dream and believe in myself.
Believing in God gives me a universal perspective that enables me to see and
understand things outside of my little own experience, thereby giving me empathy.
You can chose faith in God as well or chose to be stuck in your own sense of frustration
that comes without any life direction. We could give you scientific arguments for
the existence of God and the truthfulness of the Bible both as historical
document and as a journal of the human journey to God. But then I suppose someone
else could use other kinds of scientific arguments against the existence of God. All
I know for sure: God exists. He/She is there for all to see. God's
creative power, His Presence, His Love is clearly felt by those who take the time to seek
Him. I cannot explain that in present-day scientific vocabulary. But I can
explain it with the language of my heart and spirit. And isn't that where the
treasure that I seek lies, in my spirit and heart? No matter how much I have
in material things, the only thing that matters is my peace of mind and joy of
heart. That's what life is all about, not how much you have in material things but
how much love and joy you have in your heart. That's what faith in God is all
about. It feeds my hungry soul so that I don't place undue trust in
the material world that always fails me. By having faith in God, I will
not fall prey to betrayal since that it s human function. Faith never fails. Humanity
will fail. Through faith, I know that no matter what happens, I will not be
destroyed. God bless you always. – CatholicView Staff
"Am I correct in saying
Jesus was born to die CatholicView Staff: Dear Joe: You are correct on all counts. Jesus Christ came to earth in human form for many
reasons. He came to fulfill the prophecy
spoken of in Isaiah 53:1-12 in the Old Testament, and bring the good news of salvation
through His death on the cross. And with His crucification, and His ultimate resurrection
from the dead, the prophecy was completed. All
the sins from the beginning of time and our transgressions were nailed there for eternity. All we have to do is accept on faith our belief
in Him as Lord and Messiah and live as He taught us to gain the eternity He gained for us. I hope this helps.
– CatholicView Staff “Is church tithing 10%
of pre-tax or post tax CatholicView Staff: Dear Tracey: Tithing
means to give 10% of a person's gross income. The tithe, however, is only a
barometer, guideline, or estimating level for one's sacrificial giving. Some can and should offer more than the
recommended amount of their tithe; others may return less than that percentage. Some churches say give 5 percent to your
church to maintain, pay heating, repairs, plumbing, etc. and give another 5 percent to
whatever charity you choose. In
Deuteronomy 14:22 it states “You must set aside a tithe of your crops
(money)—one-tenth of all the crops you harvest each year. ”Bring all the tithes into the
storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple(church). If you do,” says the
Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour
out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to
the test!” Malachi 3:10 So give as generously as you can and God will reward you for your faithfulness. Luke 6:38 tells us “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” - CatholicView Staff
”My friends were
married in a Methodist Church. CatholicView Staff: Dear Steve: Yes, you are correct in assuming that if this
couple makes the effort, they can talk to a priest in their parish and have the marriage
validated in the Church. Everything else is
in place, the child has been baptized so it is a simple matter to correct. Tell you friend that his problem will not be a
difficult matter but they must talk to a priest and have this corrected. May the Lord bless you for wanting to help a
fellow Catholic. – CatholicView
Staff
“My wife had three
abortions before we were married. CatholicView Staff: Dear Seth: I am reminded of the story of the adulterous woman who was brought before Jesus at the Temple. The Pharisees and religious leaders wanted to stone her. Jesus said those famous words: let him without sin cast the first stone. Jesus is saying those words to you now. And in the same event, Jesus told the adulterous woman, go and sin no more. Jesus said those words to your wife when she asked for absolution of her past sins. This gospel event was meant for you. What has happened in the past is gone and forgiven. You married a woman who wanted to be with you and wanted to make that life long commitment to you. That in itself is a sign that she is leaving her past behind and living in the present with you. Unless she gives you reason to doubt her love and commitment to you, I would suggest to you to live in the present, enjoy your love, and plan for a wonderful future together. Please read the gospel story in the Gospel of John, Chapter 8: verses 1-11. – CatholicView Staff
”Can I offer a Mass for
the hour of my death?” - Robert CatholicView Staff: Robert: You can
always offer a Mass for your intentions. As
for offering a Mass for the time of your death, you can do that if you wish. But, trust that God’s mercy is always with
you and always available to you no matter where you are in life’s journey. If you should have to suffer at the end of your
life journey here on earth, trust that God will give you the strength and hope that you
will need. God’s love and mercy is
infinite and knows no bounds and understands all things.
Therefore, trust in Him and do not worry about the future. Please read the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 6:
verses 25-34 for your prayer time. – CatholicView Staff ”What is the bible basis of the Catholic Church on conception to natural death as the seamless garment?” - Marcia CatholicView Staff: Dear Marcia Scripture itself is filled with references to
the child (as versus fetus or non-human in the womb) within the womb. Here are some references for you: Jeremiah,
Chapter 1, Verse 5: Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you came to
birth I consecrated you; I have appointed you as a prophet to the nations. It is quite obvious in this particular verse that
God knew and acknowledged Jeremiah as a human being and prophet from the time of his
conception in his mother’s womb, and even before that!
How about Psalm 139, Verse 13-15: It was you who created my inmost self
and put me together in my mother’s womb…you know me through and through, from
having watched my bones take shape, when I was being formed in secret, knitted together in
the womb. As for John the Baptist
recognizing the presence of Jesus from his place in the womb, you can read that in the
Gospel of Luke, Chapter 1, Verses 39-45: As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s
greeting, the child leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. So, there is your scriptural basis for the
Catholic view that we are individual human beings (made in the image of God) from the
moment of our conception to our death on earth. But
allow me to add that even after our body’s death, we are still human, and we will
live forever with the Lord with a human soul, perfect and NOT subject to the fragilities
of human life on earth (such as sin, death, illness, etc…)! That is the promise that Jesus gave us when He
said to believe in Him as Lord and Savior. –
CatholicView Staff
"I just found out my husband has a form of bi-polar and wants to leave me. Is my marriage invalid?" - Monique CatholicView Staff Dear Monique: I am so sorry to hear of your husband’s mental and emotional illnesses and that it has caused both of you so much pain. May the Lord heal this pain and give you strength to overcome all obstacles to a healthy life in the Lord. Sadly, I must agree with you that you have grounds for a church annulment of your sacramental marriage. It seems that such illnesses usually have their origins in a time previous to your present marriage. You are not a failure. You saw potential in the man you married, and you saw something that only you could see. You loved him for who he was before the illness took hold of him and detached him from reality. You did not fail. The human body of your husband failed. So, please, do not allow yourself to become overwhelmed by guilt. You must let him go so that he can figure out what is going on in his mind. Sometimes, loving someone means to let go of that person. That is going to be hard to do, but leave all things in the Hands of the Lord who will take care of everything in His time frame and Will. – CatholicView Staff “Is it a sin to not be
parents, even though you tried?” - Diane CatholicView Staff: Dear Diane: I know that it is difficult for you to be in this position of not being able to conceive a child that would make your family complete. Let me say first that it is NOT a sin not to be parents (that option seems to be out of your control). But the teaching church has a problem with infertility treatments when it involves fertilizing many eggs (therefore conceiving several human beings) and discarding some (which we would consider abortion) to have at least one fertilized egg to implant in the womb. Maybe timing is not right and more patience is needed. I have seen and witnessed couples that have tried for years to have a child of their own and it happened by surprise years later. But, I want to challenge you since you are asking this question. I challenge you to look beyond your own desire for a child of your flesh and blood and look into adopting a child who needs a loving father and mother like yourselves. You say that you don’t feel that God is directing you to adopt, but how do you know that? So many children are waiting to be part of a family like yours. Please reconsider that your situation may exist so that you can give your love to an adopted child who would appreciate it for the rest of his/her life and even beyond that. - CatholicView Staff “I have a clotting
disorder that could be fatal. CatholicView Staff: Dear Amy: I am sorry that you are facing health problems
that make it impossible for you to conceive. You
do not say in your letter how many children you have, but in your case, when it is an
absolute and serious health issue, you MUST follow your doctor’s orders. You have your family’s well being to consider
as well as your health. And God, Who knows
all things, and can read yopur heart, understands what you are going through. Please sit down with your parish priest and
discuss your problem. May the Lord strengthen
and heal you. - CatholicView Staff “If people have not heard of Jesus as
the way to Salvation, CatholicView Staff: Dear Ross: Yours is a very interesting question and one
many people would like to know about. Judgment
in this case belongs to God. We cannot know
how God will handle this but we do know that God wants us all to be saved. If I DO NOT choose to receive the salvation
of Christ after receiving and understanding this knowledge, then I have exercised my free
will and chosen NOT to go to heaven. If I
have never known about Jesus Christ and His gift of eternal life, the Lord alone, in His
infinite love, will make His judgment. – CatholicView Staff
”Can two retired, widowed Catholic people just receive only a marriage blessing so they can collect their SS and pensions? - Carol
Dear Carol: CatholicView certainly understands the dilemma
of your retired relative and her fiancé. The
high cost of maintaining a household is very expensive to say nothing of medical expenses
and the rising costs of food and gasoline. It
is true that one partner will lose his\her income. Unfortunately,
we must abide by the rules of our government while obeying what the Lord would have us do. If these two lovely people want to be together as
husband and wife, regardless of the non-sexual relationship, they must be MARRIED in order
to receive the Sacraments in the Church. Do
you know if they are willing to sacrifice this? Please do not ignore what is right and what is
wrong in the eyes of the Lord. Think
carefully. I am strongly suggesting that this couple sit down with their parish priest and discuss this. We will pray for your relative and her fiancé. –CatholicView Staff
“What does the Roman Rite teach about the death and assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos into Heaven?” - Amparo
Dear Amparo: For those who don’t recognize the term, THEOTOKOS, it is the Greek word for “God bearer,” or in the Roman rite language, the Mother of God, Mary. During the Council of Ephesus in the fifth century, the church defined an infallible doctrine that stated that Mary was the mother of the God-man, Jesus Christ, and that she gave birth to Jesus both as God (the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity) and as man (a human being like us). Mary did not JUST give birth to Jesus as man alone. She gave birth to Jesus as He is: God and man. As for the doctrine of the Assumption of Mary into heaven (solemnly and infallibly defined in 1950), the doctrine simply states that Mary, at the end of her life on earth, was assumed body and soul into heaven by God. As for the details on how this happened, we do not know how it happened only that the assumption of Mary happened. Even though the Eastern Church tries to give an explanation of how Mary was assumed into heaven, in reality, no one today knows how it was done. If only the witnesses at that time would have written down the exact details. All that they left us with was an oral tradition of what happened and not how it happened. CatholicView Staff
“Does God or Jesus have favorites?” – Gregory CatholicView Staff:
Dear Gregory: One of the most popular scriptures in the bible
tells it all. ‘For God so loved the
world that He gave His only begotten Son, that those who believe in Him shall not perish
but shall have eternal life’ John 3:16. This is EVERYONE!
He did not say only His FAVORITES, but
unworthy you and I, are the recipients of His grace and His blessings. 1 Timothy 4:10 states, ”This
is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, Who is
the Savior of ALL people and particularly of ALL believers.” Then again in Deuteronomy 10:17 we are told
“For the Lord your God is the God of
gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, Who shows
no partiality and cannot be bribed. Saint
Peter says in Acts 10:34 “I see very clearly that God shows no
favoritism.” I do not think you have to be concerned about favoritism. Be concerned about the state of your soul and that you be humble, strengthening your faith, and doing the things Jesus Christ asked you to do. Establish a relationship with Him and watch that relationship grow for it will draw you closer to Him. I hope this helps you a bit. May the Lord bless you always. – CatholicView Staff
"If Satan asks for forgiveness, can he be forgiven?" - Matthew CatholicView Staff: Jesus tells us to love and pray for our enemies, and He also refers to Satan as, a liar and a murder from the beginning. My question is, while I know that I am called to love and pray for those poor souls who Satan has "sired" (because they were initially and still have the potential to become once again Sons and Daughters of God), does that same call to love and pray for our enemies extend to Satan himself? I had a dream long ago in which I was being strangled by a larger than life representation of Satan when I felt myself saying to Him coolly and confidently that, "it was not too late, even for him, to be redeemed if he would just confess his sins to Jesus, acknowledging Him as Lord and Savior and coming back to the light by His grace and mercy." I know that often times a dream is just a dream, but I must say that I have never felt our Lord's power and authority flow through me so poignantly in real life as I did in that dream, nor have I ever been aware of the Devil's cowardice in the face of God's love as I was that night (he subsequently dropped me and began to scream violently and pathetically in the dream, then I woke up). But is it right to in essence hate Satan while we love those whom he leads astray, or are we called to love "the Evil one" as well? And in line with this, is it acceptable (in the dealing with our feelings towards Satan) to use our love, not as a tool for healing so much as a weapon to be used against his cunning and sinister subtleties? Any information that you have regarding this subject would be most appreciated as I know that your wisdom will reflect that of the Church and by extension, of Christ himself. Thank you for your time and God love you. Your brother and son in Christ, Matthew
Dear Matthew: I want to say something very
clearly: Jesus died for humankind, not for
the angels. He died for you and me, created
human beings with eternal souls. Angels are a
totally different life form made by God. Angels
do not need salvation, forgiveness, or healing like we humans do. Satan was a glorious angel in heaven and he made a
choice to turn against God and become an anti-God. By
doing that, he sealed his fate. Jesus did not
die for the salvation of Satan. So, there is
no comparison between Satan and human beings, who are to be loved by other human beings. Satan does not know how to love. If he did, he would not be in the position that he
is, which is HELL. I would agree with you in
some way: “to use our love not as a tool for healing so much as a weapon to be used
against his cunning and sinister subtleties.” I
would use my love to bring healing and Christ’s salvation to my fellow human beings. Love is not a weapon to use against Satan
but to dispel his power of evil. I hate sin,
and I hate the creator of death who is Satan. That
does not go against the teaching of Christ that impels me to love my neighbor, my HUMAN
neighbor. Your dream, though, suggests that
you are struggling with your own sin and sense of guilt.
Satan in your dream symbolizes your own struggle against sin in your life. The words you speak are words for you: repent and believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord
and Savior and do not worry about the details of overcoming sin. Your daily struggle to live the words of Jesus
will be strengthened by your faith. Trust in
Him and love your neighbor. Sadly, Satan is
condemned forever by his own decision to be anti-God.
We are offered salvation through Jesus Christ. Satan has no such offer nor will any be made.
Please use the link at the top left
side of this page CLICK HERE FOR OCTOBER 2006 "ASK A PRIEST"
|
| |